Deal near for 3 minorities on U of L board

A tentative settlement has been struck that would allow Gov. Matt Bevin to appoint two more minority members to the University of Louisville Board of Trustees.

The deal, which hasn’t been signed, would resolve a suit brought by the Justice Resource Center asking for the enforcement of a state law that requires university boards to reflect the state’s racial makeup. The Louisville-based civil rights group has said that means there should be three minorities on U of L’s governing board.

The proposed settlement is not official, but Trustee Jody Prather, an Elizabethtown physician, said Wednesday that Bevin will be allowed to appoint two more minorities, one to replace Paul Diaz, who resigned, and another to replace a current board member who would resign or retire. They would join former Louisville Deputy Mayor Bill Summers, who is black, on the board.

Trustee Robert Rounsavall III submitted his resignation to the board, effective Wednesday, to allow Bevin to make the second appointment and to clear the way for resolution of the suit, Rounsavall said in an email.

Kimberly Buntin, attorney for the Justice Resource Center, said it is premature to say the group’s suit against the board is settled. But she said, “We are on the path to getting what is required under the law.”

Board Chairman Larry Benz said the proposed settlement is “pending” but not final. Jessica Ditto, a spokeswoman for Bevin, said the parties have reached a tentative oral agreement.

Bevin in January asked a Franklin Circuit Court judge to declare two appointments that former Gov. Steve Beshear made to the board "null and void."

U of L President James Ramsey, who is under fire from some board members appointed by Beshear, has supported Bevin's position.

Beshear raised the hackles of some in the African-American community in June when he didn't appoint any blacks to the board.

Beshear named his close adviser, Larry Hayes, to the board, replacing Phoebe Wood, a principal of CompaniesWood, and Diaz, executive vice chairman of Kindred Healthcare, to replace the Rev. Kevin Cosby. Wood is white, Cosby is black and Diaz Hispanic.

Beshear also reappointed Benz.

As Beshear came under attack for the decision, Trustee Steve Wilson agreed to resign to allow the appointment of Summers. But a group of African-American ministers objected, saying there should be more minorities on the board.

Beshear argued that Diaz qualified as a minority under the law and that two minority members meet the statutory requirement.

The U of L board of trustees has 20 members – 17 of them appointed by the governor. If one uses the entire board makeup to calculate the number of minorities required, that number is three; but based on the number of gubernatorial appointments, that number is two.

Another section of the law says that the governor's appointments must "reflect no less than proportional representation of the minority racial composition" in the state.

Reporter Andrew Wolfson can be reached at (502) 582-7189 or awolfson@courier-journal.com